Locating, identifying and marking underground utilities is one of the most important steps before beginning a construction project when underground utilities are in the vicinity or when repairing an underground utility. However, locating underground utilities may be a difficult process requiring probing of soil around the underground utilities. Typically the soil around an underground utility is compacted, thereby making insertion of a probe into the soil difficult without applying a great amount of force to the probe. This force will increase the likelihood of damaging an underground utility should the probe contact the utility.
Care must be taken to avoid damaging an underground utility conduit when probing the adjacent soil. A typical soil probe is formed of a handle and shaft with a pointed tip at the end of the shaft, wherein the shaft must be manually inserted into the soil by a user. However, when a typical soil probe is inserted into the soil with enough force, such that the probe penetrates the soil, the force applied to the probe may be sufficient to penetrate and/or damage the underground utility conduit that the user is attempting to locate. Soil conditions may exist that make insertion of the soil probe difficult. Further, the force required to penetrating soil with a typical soil probe require greater exertion by users attempting to insert a probe into the soil.
What is needed therefore, is a portable vibrating soil probe for penetrating soil adjacent an underground utility conduit without damaging the utility.